1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to method of feeding calves to produce veal and to feed rations used in such methods.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The light-colored meat of calves, particularly that of calves fed exclusively on milk, has long been considered a delicacy. The conventional procedure for producing high quality veal is to feed calves exclusively on milk or a milk replacer equivalent to whole milk, not weaning them and denying them access to the usual feed which is provided to growing animals such as hay and the like. In particular, dietary intake of iron is restricted, so much so that in some cases special measures are taken to remove iron from the water the animals are given to drink. The calves are often kept under conditions of very low light which has also been found to favor the formation of desirable light-colored meat. This regimen causes the meat of the calf to have the characteristic light color of veal, rather than the red color associated with the normal flesh of a mature animal, due to the absence from the muscle tissue of the iron-containing protein myoglobin. However, the severe restriction of iron also results in poor formation of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein of the blood, which also requires iron for its formation. As a result, calves fed exclusively on milk beyond the normal weaning time tend to be anemic and are often in poor health. This situation requires great care in the treatment of the animals, and has even come to be considered a somewhat cruel treatment. Because of the expense of a milk diet and the extra care required to produce milk-fed veal, this meat is very expensive, and is generally used in special dishes and is consumed in relatively small quantities. Clearly, if a simpler and less expensive method for producing light-colored veal were known, this food would be more available to the consumer.
Hence a need has continued to exist for a less critical and less expensive method of producing high quality light-colored veal.